Seventy-Something Traveler Who Claimed to Be IMF Official Arrested with 5.1 kg of Meth at Gimhae Airport

A man in his 70s from Taiwan has been sentenced to a heavy prison term after entering the country through Gimhae International Airport with a suitcase containing 5.1 kg of methamphetamine, originating from Cambodia.

The Busan District Court's 5th Criminal Division (Presiding Judge Kim Hyun-soon) announced that it has sentenced a Taiwanese man in his 70s, identified as A, to 6 years in prison on charges of violating the Act on the Aggravated Punishment, etc. of Specific Crimes.

A was sent to trial on charges of receiving a travel bag containing three backpacks concealing methamphetamine in front of a hotel in Cambodia on March 22 of this year, and bringing it into South Korea.

The methamphetamine inside the backpacks totaled 5.1 kg, with an estimated street value of 511.3 million won.

A checked the carrier as baggage at Siem Reap International Airport in Cambodia, transited through Hanoi, Vietnam, and arrived at Gimhae International Airport the following morning.

During the trial, A claimed that he was unaware he was transporting methamphetamine.

He argued that a British man he met through an acquaintance introduced himself as an employee of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) and proposed, "If you carry out a delivery task for money laundering, I will give you 1 million dollars," adding that he believed the travel bag contained a "security token."

However, the court ruled that A was at least conditionally aware of the possibility that drugs were inside the bag.

The court stated, "The defendant testified during the investigative agency and court proceedings to the effect that 'I suspected what was in the carrier might be drugs and asked the British man,' and 'I had seen news reports stating that one must be careful because drugs could be inside if a stranger asks you to move a bag,'" adding, "It appears he was aware that narcotics might be inside the travel bag."

The court explained its reasoning for the sentence by stating, "Narcotics smuggling crimes carry a high potential for causing the domestic spread and distribution of narcotics and resulting in additional crimes, necessitating a strict response," and added, "The amount of methamphetamine brought in by the defendant is considerable, and the defendant denies the crime and shows no remorse."

(Photo: Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.